I am going to purchase two cornsnakes that will share a tank. Is it ok if they are the opposite sex? Will it stress them out or will they be fine? I don't mind if they breed but I am just wondering if there are any risks to their physical or mental health?
2007-09-27 14:02:11 · 4 answers · asked by MaskedMaster 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
There are many risks. They could breed too early, causing the female to become egg bound and die. Corns have been known to be cannibalistic and you could end up with one really fat corn instead of 2. They could stress each other out and one could stop feeding. It is always best to house snakes individually and only introduce them when you are wanting to breed them, which shouldn't be done until the female is at least 2 years old and preferably 3 yrs old.
2007-09-27 14:27:17 · answer #1 · answered by hummi22689 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it really all depends on the age of the snakes most pet stores sell them as a young snake and most likely you will be able to cage multiple young snakes together it is when they are large that you should actually seperate them. I would suggest that the absolute minimum not matter what you do minimum to house them in is a 20 gallon tank when they are adult even that size is pushing it. there is a main reason you don't want to house two different sexs, obviously breeding. if you would like to breed your corn snakes i say do alot of research, breeding can be very stressful on the female because it's a lot to go through, and there is a long process you yourself has to go through, the whole process starts around november where you isolate the two snakes and cool them down to just below room temp, and you go through months of patiently waiting till they can mate, to do it properly it is a lot of effort. never house two males together because when mating season comes i beleive they fight i'm not 100% but just be on the safe side. i say this in a kind way, don't be an ignorant owner, who just thinks they know how to do it because they watch the discovery channel, research, research and did i mention research.
2007-09-27 21:28:52 · answer #2 · answered by Conley f 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
okay it has happened that one corn will eat the other, although only on very rare occasions. one important thing you will want to do to avoid the possibility of this happening, is to make sure the snakes are fed serperatly in a different tank (or in an empty rubbermaid container, this is what i do, and it also prevents them from ingesting substrate). ive had many corns and kept them together just fine. to be on the safe side, and to be the best keeper as you can, keep your snakes well fed, make sure they are the same size, and you should probably seperate them in spring to keep the male from stressing out the female. as far as corns fighting, i havent seen it, although that shouldnt be a problem since you have one of each sex. also make sure they have multiple snug hides and enough cage room. if theres any species of snake you can safely house together, it would be corns. if you feel like you have any other, or more specific questions, feel free to email me.
2007-09-27 21:57:41 · answer #3 · answered by NATALIE M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope, never OK. When old enough and weigh enough, can put together for short periods to breed if you have properly gotten them ready to do so. Please check out http://cornsnakes.com/forums/ for a lot more info on this subject.
2007-09-27 23:15:26 · answer #4 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋